David felt that he wasn’t coping when he was… extremely well: A personal memory of Moat’s final victim

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David felt that he wasn’t coping when he was… extremely well: A personal memory of Moat’s final victim

March 4th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

By
David Blunkett

Last updated at 1:21 AM on 4th March 2012

No one can ever know what goes through the mind of someone on the edge of taking their own life. In the case of David Rathband, the seriously injured police officer, it is clear that his life and dreams were haunted by Raoul Moat, the man who delivered the devastating blast.

All of us owe a deep debt of gratitude to those who, like David, are put at risk by being on the front line of policing.

Sometimes, officers are part of the decision-making, and are prepared and equipped for danger. In this case, a traffic cop was going about his duty, ensuring others are safe, only to find himself picked out at random, a victim of the hate felt by one man for the police in general.

Bond: David Blunkett had tried to support PC David Rathband as he came to terms with his disability

For David Rathband, the pain of his terrible injuries was only part of the cross he had to bear. He was a strong and masculine man who enjoyed physical sports, blinded in the prime of life.

I was privileged to get to know David from the time of the attack on him, when I got in touch to offer help in any way I could.

Since that time, I have tried to keep in contact, only too well aware that so often we repeat the platitudes, offer assistance and then forget – and I was determined that I wouldn’t.

In my contact with him, I have only scratched the surface of his mental fragility. David was struggling inside, as well as with the practicalities of blindness. He was so frustrated and angry, and felt that he wasn’t coping when actually he was managing extremely well.

An example of this was last year when I met him and his wife, Kath, in Sheffield at a fundraising dinner for his Blue Lamp Foundation. He showed me how he could use his new iPhone in a way that put me to shame. I did my best, as those around him had, to convince him that over time he would master those aspects of life that were creating such irritation.

For me, the frustrations, the practicalities, and the sheer learning process of how to cope were dealt with over many years, particularly during my teens.

Tormented: PC Rathband felt like the attack had somehow robbed him of his masculinity, Mr Blunkett says

For David, faced with the circumstances in which he found himself, that was impossible, so the physical pain of his injuries and the trauma of losing his sight were underpinned by anger and an inner pain that led him to express, sometimes vehemently, the frustration of no longer being able to do the things that he had for so long taken for granted.

He felt that the attack had taken away his independence and masculinity, and needed to be convinced that being willing to accept and appreciate help does not mean giving up on the desire for self-reliance and independence.

I understand this entirely as it is something I have struggled with throughout my life.

Over the years, I have learned that is a two-way street – you get something out of it and those who help get something out of it, and in that way, you create equality, independence and opportunities. Having listened to the interviews he gave following his injuries, as well as having met him and talked to him many times on the telephone, it was clear that sometimes he was managing well.

Sometimes, the determination that had carried him so far was palpable, and this was true in the hours after he completed the London Marathon last year, when he was trying to convince me that I should do it with him in 2012.

I had hoped and believed David’s sheer grit would carry him through, but sometimes the burden of life can overwhelm us and the challenge of what we face is just too great. I understand it had become clear from David’s use of Twitter that his anguish had reached crisis point.

So, in remembering David, we should remember also those who loved him. When the publicity is over, life has to go on, and then it is those closest to us who carry the burden and are left to grieve.

Surely the tragedy of David Rathband’s death is a reminder of how, in a modern world, evil can triumph over good and how all of us must play a part in ensuring that we give our backing to those who put themselves at risk.

David Blunkett is a Sheffield MP and a former Labour Home Secretary.

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
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Mr Blunkett has been blind since birth, whereas PC Rathband had sight and suddenly and unexpectedly lost it. In other words, he had a huge adjustment to make, whereas Mr Blunkett had never known anything different. Maybe that in itself makes some kind of difference.

– Marie, Essex, 04/3/2012 08:47

For pity’s sake let’s share a moment and think with compassion about this poor man. He chose his career for the best of motives and as a “foot soldier” was not responsible for the judgements and mistakes of management. Like us all who lack the luxury of being able to resign for our principles, we carry on quietly with the job, compromising and trying to rise over the disappointment. It’s ironic that those who delude themselves they have the highest political ideals see fit to rubbish whole sections of humanity with demeaning terms and stereotypes. Their favourite targets are the public sector, chief among them being (that “witty” term) Plod.

– Tamara French, Brighton, 04/3/2012 08:28

Blunkett deserves NO media coverage at all.
– Les, Thailand, 04/3/2012 03:17
Even in circumstances like these?!! for Gods sake forget your political bias for a nano second and leave the poison in your ink cartridge. Blunkett (as with other blind people) is in a better position than the vast majority to pass comment.

– jon, southampton, 04/3/2012 08:00

Blunkett deserves NO media coverage at all.
– Les, Thailand, 04/3/2012 03:17———————sometimes we say things that expose us for what we are!

– Oh, dear, 04/3/2012 07:19

– Can Cook, Won’t Eat It, London, 04/3/2012 03:07 for what pc rathband has been through i honestly belive he was a top man and amazing police man but it must have been hell getting ur sight cut from you halfway through your life truelly horrible .but when you say the police are a hate figure with the public i think you have to understand that alot was brought on by yourselfs your system. police work changed under labour goverment instead of using your common sense and stopping or questioning commands comming into your system you went along with them you systamatically stop chasing thugs and went for the little old lady driving at 35 mph and to this day you and the courts let thugs of and hammer the genral public you allso went crazy for the race card u brought it on yourself

– steve, hartlepool, 04/3/2012 06:45

I would just say this: we can never enter another person’s mind or spirit. He obviously was not coping with his situation by living, so he decided to try another way. Anyone might have done the same thing.

– Tim, Sanford, ME, 04/3/2012 03:18

Blunkett deserves NO media coverage at all.

– Les, Thailand, 04/3/2012 03:17

Whilst I am keen to thank Mr Blunket for his kind words, I’m at a loss to understand why the DM has published this considering all of the police-bashing it engages in on a monumental scale. I can tell you as a serving officer, I am distraught to think the public hates me so much if the vitriol is anything to go by. The Military is led by buffoons, but you would never stamp on a soldier. We as police officers are no different. We love our country and our people for God’s sake. We’d give our lives for it and, when we feel we can’t do what is in our bones, you have the terrible situation where PC Rathband takes his own life. He is a moral saint. A hero. A winner. A man of virtue and morals. God bless him.

– Can Cook, Won’t Eat It, London, 04/3/2012 03:07

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